


'cause when the villains fall, the kingdoms never weep (no one lights a candle to remember)

by CarefulZombie



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Billy Hargrove is His Own Warning, Can Be Read As Either Gen Or Pre-Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, If You're A Billy Stan Move Along, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Character Death, It's Not Described But It Is Talked About, Other, Past Child Abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-03-15 08:41:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28810548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CarefulZombie/pseuds/CarefulZombie
Summary: "Why should I have a heavy heart?Why should I say 'I'll keep you with me?'Why should I go and fall apart for you?"Billy's dead. Max isn't that torn up about it.(Okay, well, sheis. But not in the way that's being expected of her.)
Relationships: Eleven | Jane Hopper & Maxine "Max" Mayfield, Eleven | Jane Hopper/Maxine "Max" Mayfield
Kudos: 28





	'cause when the villains fall, the kingdoms never weep (no one lights a candle to remember)

**Author's Note:**

> Remember how in season two when Max was terrified of Billy and was ready to castrate him for trying to beat up Lucas?
> 
> Well, I guess it's fine if you don't. Because the writers of season three didn't either!
> 
> (And yes, the title and description are both from Dear Evan Hansen. A musical I don't actually care all that much for. But I do like the songs and I feel Requiem fit the mood I was going for here so... whatever lmao)

“Billy was a piece of fucking _shit_.”

Eleven blinked, and glanced up at Max where she was sitting on her bed. She opened her mouth to say something but came up short. She shifted where she sat cross-legged on the floor and waited to see if Max was going to continue.

She did.

“He-he was y’know? He was fucking _awful._ ” She ground out, her tone getting harsher with each word. Inhaling, she stood up from her bed and began to pace.

“He was awful to everyone. For no damn reason! He just _was_. He tried to hurt my friends, he....”

Max paused, and wrung a hand over and around one of her wrists slowly, her gaze going distant. She swallowed.

“He hurt _me_. All the time. Everything I did made him mad. If I talked too much he got mad. If I tried to avoid him it pissed him off too. He always yelled. All the _fucking_ time.”

She glanced briefly at El, who was still sitting on her floor. She had her gaze focused on Max, unblinking. She gave a slow nod, as if prompting Max to continue.

She did.

“And the thing is - I _know_ his Dad sucked! That-that he was just as big of a piece of shit that Billy was. But is that supposed to make me feel bad for him? ‘Oh! Daddy was mean to you? You miss your mom? Well, feel free to use me as your personal punching bag! It’s fine, take a few swings!’ I just…” 

Max took another deep breath and ground her teeth. She walked quickly back to her bed and sat down.

“I don’t miss him. People keep expecting me to, but I _don’t_.”

They sat in silence for a few minutes, the only sound coming from the trickle of rain pattering against the window.

El’s voice broke the silence.

“Papa..”

There was hesitation to the word. It came out as a whisper. It had been so long since she’d spoken it. It felt unfamiliar on her tongue now.

“Papa was bad. I didn’t know it for a while but… I thought I loved him. He was all I had for a while, but…”

El trailed off for a moment, then lifted her gaze up towards Max.

“He was really bad.”

Max didn’t say anything for a moment, but eventually slid down from her bed to join El on the floor and sat beside her. They didn’t say much after that. Just sat close, shoulder to shoulder, and gripped each other by the wrist. Finding what comfort they could in each other’s presence. 

It didn’t fix anything, but it was enough for now.

**Author's Note:**

> Me, holding characters like Billy or Kyle Ron in a chokehold: You are not Zuko. You will _never_ be Zuko.


End file.
